Corn-harvester.



No. saLoza.

Patented Aug. 2117 ISOI. c. A. kuzks. CORN HARVESTER.

(Application med Maf. 21. 19511.

(.No Modem 3 Sheets-Shee1i 2.

YNn. `68|,026. '5 C. A. KLITZKE.

conn HARVESTER.

{Application Bled Max'. 21, 1901.)

Patented Aug. 20, I90I.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

CORN-HARVESTER."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent rio. 681,026, dated August 2o, 1901.

Application filed March 21, 1901, Serial No. 52,210. (No model.)

citizen of the United States,residin g at Reeds- `broken line 2 2 of Fig. l.

i broken line 3 Sof Fig. 2.

burg, in the county of Sauk and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Corn-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to corn-harvesters of the kind which are calculated to traverse fields of corn, remove theears from the stalks, and

`husk the ears; audit consists in a certain peculiar construction the novelty, utility, and advantages of which will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in ,which- Figure lis a plan View of myimproved cornharvester with a portion of the traveling drive-wheel in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken `in the plane indicated by the Fig. 3 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated bythe Fig. 4L is a detail horizontal section, en an enlarged scale, illustrating the manner in which the stalk-feeding forks pass the frame incident to the rotation of the cylinders to which they are attached. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 5 5 of Fig. l with the cylinders to which the forks are attached in elevation. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken in the plane indicated by the broken line 66 of Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by thebroken line 7 7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 isa detail view of a t portion of the endless carrier for removing the i views of modifications.

ears of corn from the stalk-stripping rolls to the husking or shucking rolls. Fig. 9 is a detail section illustrating a modified mechanism for moving the ears of corn alongthe husking-rolls incident to the husking operation. Figs. l0 and 1l are detail horizontal Fig. 12 is a detail view taken at right angles to Fig. l1. Referring by letter to Figs. l to 9, A is the main frame of my improved harvester, which may be of any construction and material suitable to the purposes of my invention. The

said frame is supported by wheels B C and is provided adjacent to the latter wheel with a slot D, the said slot being open at its forward end, as best shown in Fig. 1, and designed for the downward passage of the cornstalks after the same have been stripped of their ears. The frame is also provided with a flaring mouth F., which communicates with and has for its purpose to guide stalks of corn into the slot D. This mouth is preferably formed by lower bars a, which are connected to the main frame at opposite sides of the slot D and diverge forwardly therefrom in a horizontal plane,and comparatively broad inclined bars b, which are connected at their lower ends to the bars a and extend upwardly and rearwardly therefrom, as illustrated, and merge into inclined boards c CZ, disposed at opposite sides of the stalk-receiving box F. The inclined board CZ merges in turn into an inclined board e on the rear wall of the said box F.

Journaled in suitable bearings in the stalkreceiving box F and disposed at opposite sides of the slot D in the bottom thereof are rolls G for feeding the stalks of corn down through the said slot and stripping the same of their ears. These rolls G are provided for about two-thirds of .their length withlong spiral crrugations f and in rear of 'the corrugations have longitudinal grooves g in their perimeters. The spiral corrugations are by preference gradually reduced in size as they approach the grooved portions of the rolls, and the corrugations of each roll are arranged coincident With the spaces between the corrugations of the other roll. It will also be observed by reference to Fig'. l that the corrugations are respectively right and i left in the two rolls, and consequently when said rolls are rotated in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows in Fig. l, the corrugated portions thereof Wll operate to feed the cornstalks rearwardly and downwardly through the slot D, while the longitudinallygrooved portions g will serve to strip the stalks of the ears. When the machine is in operation, the right-hand roll G is rotated by the traction-wheel B through the medium of the toothed annulus h, Xed to said wheel, the shaft ,.Which has a pinion j at one end intermeshed with the annulus and abeveled gear 7c at an intermediate point of its length, a shaft Z, disposed at right angles to the shaft t and having a beveled gear m intermeshed with the gear lo, pulleys n p, fixed on the IOO shaft Z and the shaft of the right-hand roll G, respectively, and a belt q, passed 'around-said pulleys np, While the left-hand roll G is roiated/in an opposite direction to the righthand roll through the medium of a gear r on the shaft of said rright-hand roll and a gear s on the shaft of the left-hand roll i'ntermeshed with said gearr.

In addition to removing the ears of corn from the stalks, as before described, the grooved portions g of the rolls G, which are arranged quite close together, serve to engage and positively feed the stalks downwardly, and thereby prevent choking of the machine, which is obviously a highly-important advantage.

VJournaled in suitable bearings at opposite sides Aof the vstalk-receiving box F and adjai cent vto the forward end `o'f said vbox are shafts H, which are provided immediately above 'the pla-ne of the stripping-rolls G with pe ripherally-toot'h'ed wheels I and between said a wheels yand Ithe beards c d with cylinders J. The said cylinders are provided at intervals on their peripheries with -uprfg-ht fork-s K,

'which are pivotally connected thereto and are backed by springs K. When 'thesha'fts f H are rotated in opposite directions, the wheels land the 'forks K are calculated to; engage lthe stalks of corn received 4in the mouth E and press or `feed the samerear` Wiardfly into the slot D 'and -between the stripping-rolls G. The forks K by reason of their being ypi-votally connected to the cylinders and 'backed lby springs are also :adapted to assume the position shown 1in Fig. 4 when thcyengage the Iside walls of the stalk-re-- ce'ivifng box., so as to pass said side walls. f. The left-hand `shaft H vis driven inthe direction indicated l'by arrow when the -`machineis f in fope'rati'on 'by the left-hand stripping-roll i. G, through 'the medium 'of the gear 's-en the shaft fthereof,'and a shaft z,which-a'tfone end is provided with a gear u, -intermeshed with gea-rs, andat its-opposite-'en'd has a gea-r v i'ntermesh-ed 'with a gear won 'thefs'aid s'haftI-I, whil'ethe right=hand sh-aft'H is driven -i'n the opposite direction bythe shaft tand lbeveled gear thereon and Va shaft y, ywhich hasa gear -z intermeshe'd with the Agear'a:v and another gear a in-termeshed lwith a gear-b on said lright-hand-shaft H. p

I prefer in practice toemploy th'reeforksK on leach of the cylinders J, and 'the -said forks, inconjiu-'nction with the ftoothedwheels I, are obviously calculated to positively feed an abundant supply of ic'ornstalks tothe stalk- I receiving box andthe stripping-rolls la's the in'achineprogresses tlrrou gh vtheiiield of corn.`

Lis abottolnlesstrough, vwhich-is arranged at the-'opposite side ofthe -nrachine with relfere'nce to the vstalk-'receivin'g :box F and in a plane:abovesaidstalkweceiving boxya's illustrate'd in iFig. 2. The forward end of this trough, which gis arranged yfore andaftfo'fthe machine, is'close'd, while the rear end'thereofi-is arranged 'to discharge into a'box M, the .l

said box having a normally closed hinged door N., wherebyit may be readily discharged of its contents when desired. v

Disposed below the trough L are two rolls P, while between the said rolls and the trough is arranged the upper stretch of an endless carrier Q. The endless carrier preferably comprises chains c', which take around sprocket-wheels on shafts d e' and cross-bars f', which are connected to the chains at intervals in the length thereof, and it is driven when -the Vmachine is in operation from the shaft Z, through the medium of a pulley g thereon, a shaft h', which has a beveled gear t" intermeshed With a similar gear j on the shaft e', and also has a pulley la. and a belt l', which takes around the-pulleys g' k. On the shaft h isal'so arranged -a pinion m in engagement with -a gear n,which is fixed-on the left-hand roll P and'intermeshed with-a gear p', fixed on the right-handroll P. Fromlthe foregoingit follows that when themachine is traveling'forwardlythe upper Vstretchof the carrier Qwill-be caused to travel rearwa-rd-ly,while the rolls P wil-l be rotated in opposite directions, as 'indicated by'arrows. The roll-s Phave for their purpose to husklor shuck the ears of corn 'as the-ears are moved rearwardly over the same by the lendless carrier Q, while the said carrier, in V'addition to -movi-ng theears of corn rearwardly over .the rolls P., is designed to deliver the yhu-sked ears to 'the box M.

Interposed between the stalk-receivingbox F and the trough L is an inclined casing R, Which-comprises a bottom wall- S, the llower end portion of which is cu-rved and arranged adjacent to the bottom of said box, and side walls T, provided with longitudinal guideways U. In this'casing-are journaled shafts V W, whichare provided with sprocket-wheels X for the engagement o'f thechains Yo-f an endless-carrier Z. The-said chai-ns are connected at intervals-of their length by-cross bars -A,w^l1ich are provided at their Vends with'antifriction-rollersB', arranged to travel in the guideways of the casing. are also provided with teeth G', which are coiled about rods D and have their inner en'dssecu'red in the bars after the manner best shownin Fig. 7.

By virtue of the lowerend of the casing bottom 'being curved and the bars ofthe endless'carrier being provided with teeth it will be'ob'served that the saidendlessicarrier is enabled to fre'ceive the ears-ofcorn as the ears are delivered `-'from the stripping-rolls and carry the sa-lne :upwardly and deliver them into the trough L to be -hu-sked or slrucked by the vmechanism 'before described. The endlesscarrier'is design-ed to bedriven whenthe machineis'in operation-'bythe shaft'h' through thfemed'ium of alpnlle'yt i-xedthereon,'a pulleyu, fixed-on the upper -shaft W,-and a belt g', passed around'said pulleys, las'shown -in ig. z1.

1In the practical operation of my improved rPhe bars A IOO IIO

harvester it will be seen that as the same traverses a field of corn the stalks will be guided by the mouth E into 'engagement with the toothed wheels I and the forks K, and will be thereby forced rearwardly into engagement with the stripping-rolls G. When the stalks reach a position between theforward corrugated portions of the rolls G, they will be gradually fed rearwardly and downwardly until their ears reach the rear grooved portions g of the roll, when the said grooved portions will operate to strip the stalks of the ears and positively feed the stalks downwardly and permit the same to pass through the slot D. After the stalks are received between the corrugated portions of the rolls G, the rearward and downward movement thereof is accelerated by a horizontally-disposed by the grooved portions g of the strippingrolls, they are delivered to the fingers of the endless carrier and by the latter are elevated and discharged into the trough L. When discharged into the trough L, the ears fall upon the rolls P and are slowly moved rearwardly on the same by the endless carrier Q. Incident to such rearward movement of the ears the rolls P operate to remove the husks therefrom and disch arge such husks on the ground. The space between the rolls Pis, however, too narrow for the passage of the ears, and consequently the ears are conveyed by the carrier to the box M to be delivered therefrom at intervals, as before described.

In lien of the endless carrier Q the mechanism shown in Fig. 9 may be employed for feeding the ears of corn lengthwise of the husking-rolls P. The said mechanism comprises arms t, loosely connected to and depending from a suitably-supported shaft u', a shaft o', having oppositely-disposed cranks j w', and bars it', connected to the cranks w 501 and arms t' andequipped with teeth y. By reason of this construction it will be observed that when the shaft 'u' is rotated and the bars zr oscillated the teeth on the latter will operate to feed the ears of corn rearwardly on the rolls P and will also serve by picking loose the leaves on the ears t'o enable the rolls P to more readily take hold of said leaves or husks and tear the same from the ears.

I prefer in practice to provide the rear portions of the stripping-rolls G with longitudinal grooves gin order to enable the said rolls to positively engage the stalks and feed the same downwardly after they have been stripped of their ears. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the employment of gripping-surfaces formed i by longitudinal grooves at the rear portions of the rolls, as the said gripping-surfaces may be of any suitable character.

Vhen desirable, but one cylinder J and its appurtenances may be employed at one side of the box F, although I prefer to employ two cylinders and their appurtenances, as shown and described.

In Fig. lO of the drawings I have illustrated a modified construction in which but a single roll G3 is employed at the bottom of a stalk-receiving box F3. Said roll is provided with spiral corrugations and between the same with teeth a3, aifording a grippingsurface, and is arranged adjacent to one side b3 of the frame, whereby it will be seen that it will serve in conjunction with said side b3 to feed the stalks rearwardly and strip or remove the ears of corn therefrom.

The construction shown in Fig. ll comprises a stalk-receiving box or frame F4, open at its forward end, two rolls G4 G5, and a third roll G6, disposed above the roll G5. The roll G4 is provided with teeth cti and the roll G5 with short longitudinally-disposed ribs a5, while the third roll G6 is of the shape best shown in Fig. l2 and is calculated to bend the ears of corn to one side after the manner illustrated, so as to break or remove the ears from the stalks without pinching the ears.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

1. A corn harvester mounted on wheels whereby it is adapted to traverse a field of corn, and comprising a stalk-receiving box having a slot in its bottom open at its forward end, a stripping-roll arranged in said box, a complementary appliance arranged adjacent to the stripping-roll andadapted in conjunction therewith to remove ears of corn from the stalks, means for feeding thestalks to the stripping-roll and its complementary appliance, a trough arranged in a plane above the stripping-roll and its complementary appliance, and at the opposite side of the machine, and open at its bottom and rear end, the inclined casing interposed between the stripping-roll and its complementary appliance and the trough, and having the lower portion of its bottom wall dished and arranged below the bottom wall of the stalk-receiving box, and also arranged in the same crosswise plane as the stripping-roll and its complementary appliance, an endless carrier arranged in said casing for conveying the ears of corn direct from the stripping-roll and complementary appliance to the trough, husking or shucking mechanism disposed below the bottomless trough, and means for moving the ears in said trough.

2. In a corn-harvester, the combination of the stalk-receiving box having a slot in its bottom, open at its forward end, and also having a daring mouth communicating with said slot, a stripping-roll arranged in said box, a

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complementary appliance arranged ,adjacent l to the stripping-roll and adapted in conjunci tion therewith to removeears of corn from` the stalks, a trough arranged in a plane above the stripping-roll and its complementary api pliance, and at the opposite side of the ma chine, and open at its bottom and rear end, the inclined casing interposed between the;

stripping-roll and its complementary appliance and the trough, and having the lower; portion of its bottom wall dished andar-f ranged below the bottom wfa-ll of the stalk= receiving box, and also arranged in the same crosswise plane as the stripping-roll vand its 1 complementary appliance, an endless carrier arranged inzsa-idcasing for conveying the ears of corn direct from thestripping-roll and comf plementary appliance kto the trough,`hnsking mechanism disposed below the bottomless troughym'eans for 'moving the ears insaid trough,ahorizontally-disposed toothed wheel l mounted at ,one side of the slot in the bottom of the stalk-receivingbox, a cylinderiarran ged abovesaid toothed wheel, upright -forks pi-votally connected to the cylinder, .and springs backing the forks and operati n-g to normally hold them Ain an extended position with '.refy eren-ce to the cylinder.

3. In a vcorn-harvester, the combi-nation with the stalk-receiving box havingfa slot in its bottom, open at its forward end, and 4also having a Iflaring mouthcommu-nicating with said slot; of one or more stripping-rolls ar` ranged in the box, one or Amore horizontallydisposed .toothed wheels mounted at wthe side right cylinders disposed ,above the .toothed wheels, nprightforks pivotally connected to the cylinders, and springs backing said 'forks and operating to normallyhold them in an extended position with reference to the lcylinders.

5. In a cozrnharvester, the combination with -thestal'k-receiving lbox having a slot in its bottom, open .at its forward end, andalso having ,a daring mouth communicating with saidslo't; of stripping-rolls arranged in thebox ,and disposed at opposite-sides ofthe flongitndinal ce-nterof the slot, horizontally-disposed .toothed wheels arranged at opposite sid-esiof the forward portion of lthe slot, upright cylinders disposed above said toothed wiheelsandcarrying upright radially-extending forks, a horizontally-disposed wheel provided with radial arms and arranged inrear of one toothed'wheel and the cylinderlabove the same, and also arranged adjacent to the'upper edge of the outer side wallrogf the ibox, and suitable means for rotating the toothed Wheels, the cylinders, and the wheel having arms.

In testimony whereof I have Vhereunto set my .hand in 4presence of -two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. KLITZKE. Witnesses: Y I-I. GRoToPHoRsT, R. A. EN-NIS. 

